Both those critiques have validity, but in reference to the first, conferences have no canonical authority over a local bishop (weird but true), and in the second, there is no current way to adjudicate a "global" no-tolerance policy. You'd need something like a Vatican Supreme Court, and while there are courts in the Vatican, I think it unlikely they would be able to deliver on "speedy" in a matter of this gravity. I think what we want here is good local procedures that protect children, quickly respond to allegations, educate everyone about child sex abuse, and make sense in the many unique cultures that make up the church. And I think today's letter is a step in that direction, and more than a baby step.

Of course, it's hard to criticize SNAP when over in Philadelphia, another cardinal has been caught red-faced after having failed to follow his own guidelines; what's worse is that he and the other bishops in the diocese have pretty much hung their lay review board out to dry after more or less keeping its members out of the loop on a number of cases. You can read the account of the chair of Philly's review board chair, Ana Maria Catanzaro, over at Commonweal. It's pretty disheartening stuff.